Former soccer coach sentenced to 12 years in prison for sex crimes with minor

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A former Germantown soccer coach who fled the state after his conviction on sex crimes against a minor is due in court Thursday.

Justin Smith was sentenced to 12 years in prison for three counts of sexual battery, and was also arraigned on 41 new charges related to his flight from the jurisdiction, to which he is pleading “not guilty.”

Smith is also now designated as a Tier I and Tier III sex offender, meaning he will have to register his address with the Sheriff’s Office once every 90 days for the rest of his life once he gets out of prison.

In court, the mother of Smith’s victim delivered a statement, calling Smith “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” She says that when they discovered the emotional and physical abuse Smith was inflicting on their daughter, they confronted him, ultimately coming to an agreement that they would not report Smith on the condition that he step down from coaching and stop all contact with their daughter.

She says he did not hold up his end of that agreement and tried several times to deliver a new cellphone to the victim.

The victim’s family says they do not want the court to grant any favor to Smith’s previously clean record.

Smith also read a statement, apologizing and asking for forgiveness but also claiming that he is not a monster.

He says he let his community down, that his actions were “deplorable,” and that he would give anything to take them back.

He also claims his past charity work with the homeless and underprivileged shows his character.

A judge last October convicted Smith of eight counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

The charges came from an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl.

During a break in the trial last October, Smith cut off his ankle monitor and fled the state.

“This defendant should have never been granted EHDP. We recommended that he be held on a $250,000 bond when he was originally arrested because of the serious nature of his actions and to protect the victim and the community,” says Prosecutor Heck. “There have been too many instances of defendants receiving EHDP and then they commit additional crimes after cutting off their ankle monitor.”

After weeks on the run, authorities found Smith in Florida in mid-December. He was hiding in a townhouse.